The Pop Corporation

OH HI SZA, NEW MUSIC WE SEE

SZA is a unique little soul and there’s usually a lot of excitement when she springs music on everyone. With that, there’s new music from her on the back of a bunch of wins at the Grammys. She teased a new song during a Mastercard commercial (get paid, we guess) and now she’s put it
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SUGABABES SINGLES, RANKED

Oh, the fractured and chequered history of the mighty Sugababes. There’s been six members, and you could only really argue that four of them really count, and the puritans, three. Obviously, the holy trinity are Mutya, Keisha and Siobhàn, but Heidi’s tenure involves some of the group’s most iconic moments, even if deep in our
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GREAT JAPANESE JAZZ BOOK

BBE Music put out good shit, and if you’ve heard their J-Jazz compilations, you’ll know that they’re some of the finest, most adventurous comps around. In addition to that, they’ve put out a brilliant book chronicling Japanese jazz called J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz From Japan 1954-1988, which is a look at some super
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KHRUANGBIN EASING BACK

Khruangbin are back everyone, and yes, they’re wigs! The new song is called ‘May Ninth’ and, for fans of the trio’s sound, it sounds like Khruangbin, so no worries – they’ve not pivoted to sounding like dubstep or anything. It’s taken from the imminent ‘A La Sala’ and it’s gently psychedelic, woozy stuff. The album
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IRAQ, NAPSTER, BOOMER KICKBACK, STEELY DAN VS BACKSTREET + WHAT?

It’s 2001 and the USA, UK and pals are carpet bombing the Middle East. January, George Dubya Bush is sworn in thanks to some hanging chads, Apple launches iTunes and, later that year, 9/11 would change everything forever. While US democracy looked shaky, while war saw people taking to the streets in protest, people set
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HEAVY ’84 BOOGIE

When Mr Bongo say they’ve got a record in and describe it as “a heavy Boogie-Funk gem from 1984”, your ears should really prick up. That track is ‘Take A Chance’ by Marshall Titus (re-issued by Peoples Potential Unlimited), and it slaps. If you’re into super hot, sleazy ’80s disco that’s got a whiff of the
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WRITING ABOUT THE NME WRITING ABOUT WORDLE

It’s tough out here in these music criticism streets. If you have staff that need paying, you need to get the clicks in so the ad revenue, revenues. Is writing reviews about up-and-coming artists who might be future superstars going to cut it? Well, you have to wait ’til they become famous, and then link
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TEMPTED TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT LIL JOHN’S MEDITATION ALBUM

Lil John is a genius. Let’s first get that on record. His Miami Bass and Crunk work, huge club bangers and scene-stealing guest spots make him one of the most loved MCs. He’s also a super good sport, which only makes us love him more. When Chappelle sent him up with ‘AHWHUT?‘ and ‘OKAAAY‘, John
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GET EXCITED FOR TIERRA WHACK’S NEW ONE

Tierra Whack is great, and she’s shared another new track – this one is called ’27 Club’, which is a bit grim, but you’re officially allowed to start getting excited about her imminent LP. All the tunes we’ve heard from ‘WORLD WIDE WHACK’ have been forward thinking, a load of fun and a high bar
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AMBIENT JAZZ FROM PETE JOLLY’S SEASONS

With the internet, rolling news and 360 deals demanding so much of our attention currently, it seems there’s been a reevaluation of ambient music, new age, and pastoral jazz. Keeping that in mind, the lovely people over at Light In The Attic have reissued an absolute gem in Pete Jolly’s legendary ‘Seasons’ LP. This falls
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